Trisscar Swordmaid
Trisscar Swordmaid, more commonly referred to as Triss, was a female squirrel who was enslaved at Riftgard, a vermin fortress ruled by a monarchy of Pure Ferrets on the northern shores. Triss served as a slave under King Agarnu and was the daughter of Rocc Arrem. Arrem's old friend Drufo told Triss of her father, and warned her against trying anything foolish. However, she conspired with two of her friends, Shogg and Welfo, to escape by stealing wood for a boat. They were discovered and imprisoned in a punishment cage, but the three friends eventually escaped and fled Riftgard by stealing a newly made ship originally meant for a voyage for Princess Kurda and her brother. Drufo and several other slaves held off Kurda and the guards long enough for the escape to be successful, but the old squirrel was mercilessly cut down by the Princess, and Triss swore to avenge him. She found out about her full name, Trisscar, in a dream during her escape; her father and Martin the Warrior appeared to her, calling her by it. She told them she never knew about her full name. Martin told Triss that her name is a name for a great swordmaid, though did not make it clear what language it came from. On the verge of death from starvation, the crew was saved by the kind hedgehogs of Peace Island where they were treated and supplied, but their companion, Welfo, decided to stay there. Shogg and Triss continued on to Mossflower Woods, where they were assisted by both the Coneslingers and the vole tribe of Arvicola in losing Riggan, Kurda's slavecatcher. With Riggan off their trail, Triss and Shogg headed back to the coast, and found the Freebooter crew of Plugg Firetail, who had captured their boat and had taken three youngbeasts (Kroova , Sagaxus , and Bescarum ) captive. Triss and Shogg recaptured their boat, freed their new friends, and together they fled into Mossflower again via the River Moss. Triss and her four friends met up with some Guosim Shrews on the way, and were shown the way to Redwall Abbey, where, thanks to a vision vouchsafed to Skipper by Martin the Warrior, she was asked to take up the sword of Martin against Kurda and the other vermin. Triss was one of the very few maids and squirrels who used Martin's sword, as well as the first known maid to have the position of Abbey Warrior. At Redwall, Triss helped in the battle against the Freebooters and Kurda's army, who had teamed up to capture her and Shogg but later set their sights on the Abbey. After the vermin retreated, she and several others decided to go to Brockhall, to check for things to add to the Abbey archives and also to finish off the three large serpents that lived there and were terrorizing the area. She was shown the secret rear entrance in a vision by Martin. At Brockhall, they encountered not only the snakes Zassaliss , Harssacss , and Sesstra , but also the vermin, who had discovered Zassaliss was in possession of the crown of Kurda's grandfather. In the ensuing battle, Triss slew Zassaliss but not before the big snake had killed Shogg. Triss mourned his death greatly, as he had never had a chance at true freedom after years of slavery, and was even more determined to slay Kurda and free the slaves of Riftgard. Triss tracked Kurda and defeated the Pure Ferret in a duel. However, she was unable to deliver the final blow as Kurda fatally injured herself with her own blade during her attempted escape. Triss then went back to Riftgard, with help from Redwallers, woodlanders and members of the Long Patrol, to free the slaves. The attempt was successful and the remaining Ratguards were defeated - Triss wanted to slay Agarnu as well, but was held back by Sagaxus so the King's palanquin bearers could have their revenge on him instead. Afterwards, she and her friends returned to Redwall Abbey. Trivia *Triss was the first female warrior to wield the Sword of Martin as her primary weapon. *Triss was the first person who didn't reside at Redwall to have been chosen by Martin to wield the sword. *She is the first and only female to become the Abbey Warrior. *Along with Shogg and Welfo, Triss was one of the first slaves to escape from Riftgard and one of the first creatures to visit Peace Island. Triss in Media Audio VA: Rachel Murphy Category:Squirrels Category:Heroes Category:Triss Characters Category:Abbey Warriors Category:Females Category:Slaves Category:Characters